Night Singer
by pehpig
Summary: AU set in around the 15th century somewhere in Europe. Ishida is traveling with Ichigo and Chad looking for adventure and trying to help Ichigo earn a name for himself as a knight. While lost on the road, they are lured to an isolated inn by a young woman singing. Tragic and sad.


**Summary:** AU set in around the 15th century somewhere in Europe. Ishida is traveling with Ichigo and Chad looking for adventure and trying to help Ichigo earn a name for himself as a knight. While lost on the road, they are lured to an isolated inn by a young woman singing.

_**Author's note:** I wanted to make this a one shot for Halloween, but it looks like I have enough for three chapters. _

"Curse this wretched trail." The merchant muttered under his breath. "When was the last time anyone performed repairs? Why am I paying taxes for meandering dirt tracks covered in weeds?"

His horse snorted as if in agreement. An experienced beast, it picked its way carefully through the dark, overgrown road careful not to trip or step into potholes. His pack horses, laden with his various goods, fretted and whickered behind him. He had no idea how he had wound up on this god forsaken byway. He remembered following his guilds caravan, surrounded by his fellow merchants and, more importantly, their hired guards when he nodded off in the saddle. The next thing he knew, he was here. Even if his horse had wandered off track, surely one of his comrades had to have seen him. Why didn't they stop him? He couldn't even tell what direction he was headed.

The night sky was overcast, preventing him from seeing the stars and at least getting a general reference on where he was going. He could already see his breath as the darkness grew cold. The only thing he could do was keep going forward. He had to find shelter soon. The temperature wouldn't drop too low this early in the fall, nothing a good campfire couldn't ward off, but he didn't want to try and make camp. The clouds were threatening rain and his horses were beginning to stumble with fatigue. He really needed to find a village or at least some farmer's hut to spend the night. It was then that he heard it. It was a voice, a woman's voice, singing mournfully and slow.

"_The baby bird falls from its nest and plummets down below._

_The war-i-or falls to the ground, felled by a cunning blo-ow. _

_The ox and lamb and swine are slain and never do they kno-ow. _

_The end of time comes to us all, to feed the worms and croooow."_

Such a sad song, the merchant thought. But what a beautiful voice! Entranced, he pulled on the reins to stop his horse. The voice seemed to be coming from the woods on his left. Would he be able to go that way? Sure enough, he was just able to make out a path leading away from the road. Intrigued, he steered his horse in that direction. If nothing else, he should at least be able to find a room for the night. Branches and vines slapped him in the face making him curse in frustration, but he could hear the voice growing louder. He had to see who was making such sweet, if depressing, music. At last, he came to a clearing. It was then he saw her. The clouds had parted enough to let light from the nearly full moon stream down on her upturned face. She was a comely lass with long dark hair braided and hanging down to the small of her back. Her face was lovely with great dark eyes and her high, firm bosom and tight waist were accented by her coarse peasant's dress. She was a very desirable young woman indeed. He could feel his interest being piqued as her chest rose and fell with her breathing. She seemed to be all alone, her melancholy face raised up to the moon as she poured out her mournful song.

"_No man may escape their fate, no matter how they try—ay. _

_The reaper comes for one and all, and everything must die…."_

She started nervously when he clapped. She must not have noticed him approaching

"Bravo." He said as he got down from his horse. "That was wonderful my child. What is your name?"

She said nothing, looking at him with a perfectly blank expression.

"Ah, perhaps I'm being rude." The merchant said. "Please let me introduce myself. I am Szayelaporro Granz, Esquire and merchant extraordinaire." He took off his hat and executed a sweeping bow. "Perhaps you have heard of me?"

Again, she did not reply, wordlessly staring back. Szayel began to grow angry.

"See here, child." He began as he strode forward. "You could at least be polite. Answer me!"

She shrank back from him, looking as though she were ready to flee. Szayel decided to back off.

"Now, now." He murmured holding out his hands. "Don't run away. I don't mean to hurt you. I am but a weary traveler seeking rest and shelter for myself and my beasts. Is your family's cottage nearby? Can you put me up for the night?"

The young woman hesitantly spoke. "My father. He is an innkeeper. He can take you in."

* * *

Szayel looked around the common room with appreciation as he sat down to the table.

"I have to admit innkeeper, this is more impressive than I would have expected in such an isolated area, no offense."

"None taken, sir." Mayuri assured him as he set down a plate of stew from the hearth, a tankard of ale and a piece of bread. A thin man with a long face and prominent nose, he was clean shaven with hair down to his collar, dressed in plain clothes much like his daughter. "This used to be an old robber baron's castle. After he was brought down by lawful authorities, it was unused for decades and fell into disrepair. I was able to snatch it up for a song. Only this tower and one of the attached walls still stood by then. That's why I named it the Rogue's Tower inn. The rest either fell apart or was carted away for building material by the locals I should imagine. Nonetheless, it wasn't difficult to rebuild it into an inn."

"And you have rooms to let up there?" Szayel asked peering up at the wooden beams of the ceiling.

'No, no, not at all, sir." Mayuri said. "I use the next floor as living quarters for my daughter and me, but for guests, we have much nicer rooms of recent construction."

"A pity." Szayel observed. "I'm sure the view near the top is magnificent."

"It certainly is sir." Mayuri agreed "The remaining floors were too rotted to be safe and we ran out of funds to repair them. The staircase is still sound and you can get to the roof. You can see for miles from the parapet."

With the rain finally arriving and hammering on the shutters, Szayel felt no desire to try it now. He took note of the stone steps built into the round, curving walls of the room.

"I see the stairs have a trap door at the bottom" He observed. "There is a cellar below?"

Ah, you are a very clever man indeed." Mayuri said with a grin. "The remains of the old dungeon have been repurposed for storage, yes. Also, since the kingdom constructed a new highway some time ago, I use it for my other occupations."

"I was wondering about that." Szayel said while scooping some stew into his mouth. "This place seems far too large for the traffic you could expect for this location."

Mayrui grimly nodded. "Indeed sir. This seemed a promising location on a developing trade route. I was sure the kingdom would expand the road to accommodate more traffic. It seems the royal surveyors did not agree. With the new highway further south, almost no one uses the old rad anymore. Now I supplement my meager income serving as the local apothecary. It also allows me to dabble in my passion for alchemy."

Szayel nearly spit his food all over the table. "Ha! Alchemy? You still believe in that old rubbish?"

Mayuri's face, none to friendly to begin, took on a scowl. "I would hardly call the ancient mystic art 'rubbish', sir."

"Oh, but it is." Szayel contradicted. "With trade moving freely, old knowledge is being rediscovered and the new scientific disciplines of Italy are sweeping away the darkness of ignorance. We are living in a rational world sir, one ruled by laws and reason. There will soon be no room for superstitious mumbo-jumbo like witchcraft, sorcery or, pardon my saying, alchemy."

"A man of science, are you?" Mayuri asked him.

"Indeed. Well, as much as I can make myself." Szayel clarified. "Whenever I am home from my journeys I do what I can to learn of the new philosophies."

"Fascinating." Mayuri drawled. "I'm sure we will have much to talk about." He snapped his fingers. "Nemu. I am going to get our guests room ready. See to his needs while I'm gone."

The strange girl nodded at her father without speaking as he left the room. She stood idly behind the modest excuse for a bar, head down and silent. Szayel looked at her with a greater than casual interest from his seat as he ate his meal. She refused to look up and meet his gaze. Raising his tankard, he swilled the passable ale down in one draught.

"Nemu is it?" He asked. "Could you come refill my drink for me?"

Bringing a jug, she came over to the table to do as she was bid. That put her well within Szayels reach.

"You have a lovely name." He told her as he grabbed the back of her thigh through her skirt. "It suits you."

Except for a hitch in her breath, she gave no sign of his violation. She continued pouring until his tankard was full. His hand wandered upward, stroking and squeezing.

"I know we don't know each other very well, but I have to say, I really like you."

His hand now roamed freely, pleased with what it found. She had a very nice body under her drab rags. He wondered what she would look like without them. She began to move away. He seized her hip and pulled her firmly against him.

"No need to be shy." He assured her. "I want us to be friends. There could even be a bit of silver in it for you. If you're friendly enough."

"Nemu." Mayuri snapped. "What do you think you're doing?"

She pulled away from Szayel and hurried back behind the bar.

"Nothing, Father." She murmured. She resumed her position from before, eyes down and silent.

"You will have to forgive her, sir." Mayuri apologized. "She is a little slow and doesn't always act properly."

Szayel could see Nemu flinching from her father's tone. Interesting. Perhaps he should negotiate with him directly for his evening's companionship. Father or no, the man didn't seem to value her overmuch and hard currency was hard to come by this far in the country. No doubt a coin or two extra would be welcome. As for the girl herself, reluctance, or even resistance, could provide its own spice. This was turning out to be a much better detour than he had originally thought.

"By the way, sir." Mayuri continued. "If you wouldn't mind, could I ask you a favor?"

"A favor?" Szayel responded. "What is it you require?"

Mayuri gave a slightly sheepish grin. 'I know you don't believe in my 'rubbish' as you put it, but as a man of science, I would appreciate it if you would come with me to the cellar after dinner to look at my alchemical experiments. A man like you, learned in the new disciplines, could provide great insights to a poor dabbler like myself."

Szayel fought down his laughter. "Of course I would innkeeper. I'm sure it will be a fascinating experience."

"I believe it will." Mayui chuckled. "Now please, finish your meal. I will leave you in peace."

With a slight bow, the slender man took his leave and went over to whisper at his daughter. Szayel returned to his stew, mopping up the sauce with his bread. He wondered with amusement what kinds of nonsense the old fool was going to show him. A formula for the philosopher's stone? The elixir of life? The possibilities were as endless as they were hilarious. This was going to be a very interesting detour indeed.

* * *

"We're lost, Kurosaki." Ishida insisted.

"We're not lost." Ichigo countered for the millionth time "We're on a road. Roads go somewhere. If we're going somewhere, then we're not lost."

Ishida wouldn't let it go. "'Let's take a shortcut', you said. 'We'll get there faster' you said. 'It's this way, I'm sure of it.' you said."

"Well if you were so sure we were going the wrong way, why didn't you stop me?" Ichigo snarled.

Ishida declined to answer. "Chad, did I or did I not try to stop him?"

Chad shook his head. "I don't want to get in the middle"

Ishida sighed and slumped down in his saddle. Sometimes he felt like he was the only sane member of their party. He listened to the clop of their horse's hooves, the jingle of the pack horse's bridle as it shook its head, the wind gusting through the trees making the branches clatter and the dead leaves swirl. He should let it go. Complaining wouldn't do them any good at this point. He really, _really_ should just let it go.

"We have no map of this region, the sun has gone down, the sky is overcast so I can't see any stars, there is no way of knowing what direction we're going and we were supposed to be at the next village two hours ago, WE ARE LOST!"

"All right, all right, I'll admit we're a little…off track." Ichigo conceded. "Let's keep an eye out for a place to spend the night. It's not like we've never camped out before. Someplace with fresh water would be great."

"Yes it would." Ishida agreed. "If we had a MAP, maybe we'd know where to find one."

"Damn it all, Ishida…" Ichigo began.

"Wait." Chad said reining to a halt. "Do you hear singing?"

* * *

"Three young knights out on a quest." Mayuri marveled. "That's rather uncommon these days."

"He's the only knight." Ishida said pointing to Ichigo. "Although he only just earned his spurs."

"We heard there was need of fighting men to the east." Ichigo said ignoring the barb. "We hoped to join one of the factions to gain experience."

"I had heard something to that effect." Mayuri allowed. "Terrible things, these petty border disputes. I don't understand them myself, but I can see how young warriors can benefit their reputation and purses through them. I'm glad to be a simple innkeeper myself. I wish you and your squires good fortune."

Ishida snorted. "We are not his squires. I'm a bowman."

"I'm a pikeman." Chad rumbled.

Ichigo turned pink with embarrassment. "I'm a little low on funds after purchasing my armor and provisions. I expect I will be able to afford to take on a squire after I've earned my pay and proven myself in battle."

"We're just his traveling companions, more or less." Ishida clarified.

Nemu came up to the table bearing a tray with filled tankards. She set them down one at a time. Ishida had been very curious about the quiet girl as soon as he saw her in the clearing. She had been helpful leading them to her father's inn. On the other hand, she seemed very melancholy and sad. He leaned over to catch her eye as she bent to place his tankard on the table.

"Thank you, miss." He said.

Surprised at being noticed, she turned her head to look at him. Distracted, she didn't see that she was putting the mug on the edge of his plate. Off balance, the container spilled ale all over the table.

"You foolish girl!" Mayuri shouted. "Look what you have done! You've ruined these young gentlemen's suppers and insulted them to boot!"

"No, no, it's all right." Ishida insisted. "It's my fault. I knocked it over. It didn't ruin our food, it just got the table wet."

Ichigo cleared his throat. "Speaking of food, innkeeper, as we mentioned before, we are very low on funds. You are being generous with feeding us as well as giving us all our own rooms. I'm not sure how we're going to repay you."

Mayuri frowned. "You are the only guests I have at the moment. It costs me nothing if you stay in three rooms or one. As for the rest, I have many chores for three strapping young men that need doing. I'm sure you will repay me amply with your labor on the morrow before you take your leave."

Nemu finished wiping up the spilled ale while Ichigo kept her father distracted.

"I'll get you another one." She whispered to Ishida as she picked up the empty vessel.

Ishida gave her his best smile. "Thank you. I'd like that."

Nemu ducked her head and looked away. She must be very shy he thought. Still, he noticed she couldn't help but glance over her shoulder at him once or twice while she went to get his refill.

* * *

Ishida stretched as he walked outside. Chad had settled down to play the lute by the fire, and between the slow tempo tunes and a full belly, he found himself nodding off. He figured he should get some exercise to stay awake. Grooming his horse seemed like a good idea. Taking a lantern, he had set out for the stables. His breath steamed in the chilly autumn air as his boots crunched over drifts of frost covered fallen leaves. It wasn't cold enough to work through his thick wool cloak. Not yet anyway. You could definitely smell winter coming in the air. Looking back, the Rogue's Tower was a dark, ill defined bulk under the cloudy night sky. The tower was the only part of the castle left. The rest of the inn was a standard daub and wattle building, two stories high with ten room per floor. Fairly large and comfortable, it was also out of place so far from possible customers. It was odd.

Naturally, they had been careful to see to their horses before eating. Neglecting your animals was a sure path to a crippled horse and ruinous expense. They had all been rubbed down and given plenty of water and hay. He was sure a good brushing and curry combing would be appreciated though. As he approached the stables, he was surprised to see light streaming out from the doors. Someone was already there. Poking his head inside, he was pleasantly surprised.

"Good evening." He greeted. "Nemu, right?"

The young woman turned away from the horse she was attending.

"Ah. Good evening to you sir."

"I see you had the same idea as me." He observed. "You're grooming your horse."

"He is not mine." Nemu said turning back to the horse. "This is father's horse."

She ran the brush over the animals brown coat, slowly and methodically. The silence stretched on uncomfortably long.

"So, uh, what's his name?" Ishida asked.

"His name?" She responded.

"Yes. Your father's horse. What's his name?"

Her brushing slowed. "I don't know."

Ishida was puzzled. "You don't know. How can you not know you're father's horse's name?"

She began to brush more forcefully. "He acquired it and these others a few days ago. He hasn't given them names."

Ishida nodded. "I see. I thought it was odd there were so many animals in here with us being the only guests. He took these in payment I suppose?"

Nemu nodded. "Something like that."

She kept her back turned, kept brushing. The silence grew uncomfortable again.

Ishida cleared his throat. "So you live here alone with your father."

Nemu stopped brushing. She sadly bowed her head. He heard her sigh.

"You want something from me. Don't you."

It was more of a statement than a question. What had caused that response, he wondered. What kind of life did she lead that seemed to leave her so doleful and cheerless?

"Forgive me." He said. "I hadn't really planned on anything, but since you are here, there is something I would like from you."

She slowly turned to face him, arms folded tightly against her body.

"What is it you wish of me?" She quietly breathed.

He approached her, bending down until he could look her in the eyes.

"I wish, if it's all right with you, to hear you sing."

She raised her head to meet his eyes, surprised at his request. "Sing?"

"Yes." He said. "I thought you had a wonderful voice when I heard you singing in the woods. I'd like to hear more."

"Father trained me since I was a young girl." She demurred. "He is the reason I can sing well."

"All the training in the world won't help if you don't have any talent." Ishida countered. "Maybe I should thank your father for giving you that too, but I'd rather hear you sing instead of him."

To his amazement, she smiled. A very little smile to a not very funny joke, but she actually smiled.

"I don't know" she said. "I sing very sad songs."

"You don't know any happy songs?" He asked. "What do you sing when you feel good? What's your favorite?"

"Well. I do have one.' She admitted.

"Good!" Ishida exclaimed. He took the horse brush out of her hand. "I'll make you a deal. I'll finish grooming this horse while you sing. After that, you can help me with my horse. That's him over there, the piebald gelding on the end. His name is Schneider. Say hello Schneider."

The horse whinnied and shook his head. Ishida was pleased to see her smile at their little trick.

"And I'm Uryuu Ishida. You can call me Uryuu if you like." He began to brush the nameless brown horse. "All right, I'm keeping my part of the bargain. Now you must keep yours."

Nemu didn't seem to know what to make of him. She stared at him as if to try and guess his true intentions. Ishida looked back at her with a friendly confidant smile, showing her he had no ulterior motives. He honestly wanted to hear her sing, nothing more. After a while, Nemu nodded. Somewhat shyly, she went to stand in the middle of the stable floor under the hanging lamp. She began in a low, hesitant voice that grew and strengthened as she lost herself to the tune.

_My love, can you hear me, oh where are you now?_

_Are you over the mountains, are you sailing the sea?_

_He trades for rare spices, he tra-ades for gold_

_He trades for the day he will come back to me._

Ishida forgot he was supposed to be brushing the horse. Nemu seemed to glow within as she sang, eyes closed, head held high, hands folded in front of her. With the halo of light cast by the lantern, she was like a vision of saint. It was the most beautiful thing he could ever remember hearing or seeing.

_He seeks out his fortune to ask for my hand_

_He left here a poor man, as poor as could be, _

_I care not for riches, I care not for gold,_

_I wish for my true love to come back to me._

* * *

Nemu carefully closed the trapdoor after ascending to the tower room she shared with her father.

"You're late." Mayrui snarled. "What took you so long?"

"My apologies father." She said. "One of the guests kept me occupied in the stables."

"'Occupied' you say?" He sneered.

"He wanted to hear me sing." She explained. He continued to look at her with contempt. "I sang for him father, that is all."

He snorted. "It doesn't matter. Their arrival is a sign. Three days until the full moon and three suitable candidates fall right into our laps. It's a sign I say, girl. A sign the gods favor me."

He pressed a small glass vial into her hand. "As soon as they are all sound asleep, you will dose the knight first. He is the most dangerous. Neutralize him and the others should be easy pickings."

Nemu put the vial into her apron pocket. "Yes father. I understand."


End file.
